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Saturday, March 12, 2016

FBI could force us to turn on iPhone cameras and microphones, says Apple

Eddy Cue warns precedent set by San Bernardino case could lead to company being forced to turn users’ smartphones into surveillance devices

If the FBI wins in its case against Apple to help it unlock the San Bernardino killer’s iPhone 5C, it won’t be long before the government forces Apple to turn on users’ iPhone cameras and microphones to spy on them, according to the company’s head of services Eddy Cue.

The FBI has demanded that Apple creates custom software that bypasses certain security features of the company’s iOS to allow law enforcement to brute force the passcode of the gunman’s iPhone 5C.

But according to Apple, making the modifications necessary in this case would set a dangerous precedent in offering backdoors into users’ smartphones.

Cue said to Univision: “Someday they will want [Apple] to turn on [a user’s] camera or microphone. We can’t do that now, but what if we’re forced to do that?

“Where will this stop? In a divorce case? In an immigration case? In a tax case? Some day, someone will be able to turn on a phone’s microphone. That should not happen in this country.”

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Then turn em on and shut up about it.All forms of technology will then be on a level playing field with no special favors to either.

Anonymous said...

Please they've been doing this for years now they just want it to be legalized

Anonymous said...

Please they've been doing this for years now they just want it to be legalized

Anonymous said...

Wow. Force people to design their products the way they want. That's right .... Been doing that. I hope Apple sbuts down production first. Installs apps allowing all law enforcement agencies phones and Apple products to be activated by civilians. Something has to be done. And I personally love seeing the pigs cry about the double standards. They have the government jobs and scream not fair or safe but our rights mean squat. Don't be a thug for unk Sam then. Our rights shall not be infringed upon to suit a tyrant government!